News is found at every corner, it seems, whether we are looking for it or not. It's on the television, it's in the checkout lines at the grocery store and it is even found in conversations in your office break room. It seems it is impossible to visit social media to see a picture of a friend's baby without first coming across the latest headlines with a good dose of harsh debate between your next door neighbor, your Uncle Fred and his second cousin twice removed in the comment section below.
I don't know about you, but I get a pit in my stomach every time I see another one of these headlines, and the pit just grows if I let myself scroll through the comment section. Each of these stories incites a different emotion...fear, sadness, and uncertainty to name a few. I don't know about you, but with all of the emotions and thoughts my female brain can conjure up on its own, I don't need any help creating a higher grade roller coaster with no seat belt to send my mind on. Dwelling on small details of my daily life (trivial most of the time) is enough to spend my mind spinning. So how are we supposed to handle all of this?
The past couple of months, the small group I am a part of has been doing a study on the Armor of God. I'll be honest, before we started the study, I had my doubts about it. Sure I had learned about it in Sunday school growing up and could sing you a song about it if you were here with me (I'll spare you and your ears), but I didn't think it was something that studying again could have a big impact on my daily life. As I usually am when I think I know it all, I was wrong.
The study focused on recognizing the reality of the enemy in our world and our daily lives and how to combat him with the pieces of armor God gives us. Thinking about Satan in my life hadn't been a part of my thought process very often in the past, but through the weeks of study and the questions it asked, I started to notice areas of my life that I had allowed the enemy to creep in to my mind amplifying the emotions listed above. Because I didn't recognize the ways he was attacking me, I had not done much before to stop it. Through the study, we learned ways that the different pieces of the armor of God would help us stop Satan's attacks before they had the chance to impact our hearts or minds.
One week in particular stood out to me - the shoes of peace. The writer talked about how Satan is always out to steal our peace. And boy, he does a good job of it too often, doesn't he? She talked about how a lack of peace cripples us in so many different areas of our lives- our relationships, our emotions, our work, etc. I know that personally, when I am anxious or fearful, I have a hard time focusing on anything else. I say things I don't mean or haven't thought out and make rash decisions. Anyone else?
We learned how choosing to put on the shoes of peace, we can keep our footing even when we are on rocky ground.
" Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." John 14:27
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:6-7
The author talked about the way we put on the shoes of peace is by choosing trust in God and gratitude over anxiety and worry that the enemy tries to throw at us.
Without the right shoes in the literal sense, I know I would be unable to focus on anything but the rocks under my bare feet climbing up a mountain. Shoes protect our feet and help keep us stable even when the ground beneath us is not. If I would not walk with bare feet across rocky terrain on purpose, how much more important is it to put on these spiritual shoes just by turning my eyes toward God in trust and gratitude instead of dwelling in anxiousness?
Though we may fear some of the same things living with the same headlines, I don't know what makes you anxious or steals your peace in your personal life. Maybe you are struggling at work. Maybe you feel overloaded or overlooked. Maybe your peace has been stolen in a relationship. Whatever it is, the enemy is out to steal your and my peace and will take it wherever he can.
I may not understand all that is going on in the world. I may not feel assurance in the headlines or the polls. I don't know the future. And I know I let my emotions get the best of me far too often.
However, what an assurance it is to know that we are promised peace in what seems like a somewhat peace-less world. We have a Savior who not only walks beside us through our good times and bad, but gives us the shoes we need to remain stable and have peace in him. All we have to do is put them on.
No matter what the headlines say, and no matter what happened in your personal life yesterday, today or will happen tomorrow, one thing will never change or be unsure. God promises us peace when we turn to Him. Whatever we are going through, he can give us peace if we choose to slip on those shoes and walk forward with the peace he promises.
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